Russia Will Cut Off US Access to the International Space Station Over Ukraine Sanctions

The Verge ^ | May 13, 2014 | Adriana Jeffries

[lbryce]

Russia will reject a US request to use the International Space Station after 2020 in retaliation for trade sanctions imposed over Russia's aggressive annexation of Crimea, its deputy prime minister announced today.

The space station is maintained by both American and Russian crews. But because NASA's shuttle program was decommissioned in 2011, the only way to get there is on board Russian spacecraft. The US currently pays Russia $60 million per person to ferry its astronauts to the space station, and had planned to continue working on it until 2024.

"The Russian segment can exist independently from the American one. The US one cannot," Russian deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin said today.

THE US PAYS RUSSIA $60 MILLION PER ASTRONAUT TO GET TO THE ISS

The move comes after NASA announced it was cutting off contact with Russia because of the Ukraine crisis, with the exception of the space station. At the time, critics said the move was a ploy by NASA to get more funding from the US government. Russia's announcement, however, seems genuinely motivated by the Ukraine fallout.

Russia will also bar the US from buying Russian rocket engines that would be used to launch military satellites, Rogozin said.

[lbryce]

It was said, we had the shuttle to go to the space station and we had the space station for the shuttle to have somewhere to go. As long as Pan Am would ferry passengers, scientists, astronauts to the space station as gateway to the moon, and on to the lunar colonies the space station served a vital US interest. But now, when we finally did get to realize none of that was ever true, that the shuttle going to the space station was as far as anyone would ever go, disgorge supplies, along with the new team of gravity-defying astronaut-tourists, return the previous team of floating tourists back to Earth, so on and so on, someone must have figured out,well, WHY? So, really as much as a space traveling adventurer I am, none of what is happening is anywhere near what was foretold by Kubrick, so let's such send the giant boondoggle of a white elephant come crashing down on the Kaaba in central Riyadh and be done with it.

[Procyon]

Some leverage we have. I say the Ruskies are welcome to it. What benefits has the International Space Station brought us other than the experience of constructing large facilities in space? At least when we went to the moon we brought back souvenir rocks.

[CivilWarBrewing]

What difference does it make? 0bama applauds everything Putin does, and 0bama has seen to it that we have no contingency plan for getting to the space station. Oh yeah, SpaceX? What if the Russian astronauts aboard the ISS let the Americans leave the ISS but follow orders NOT to allow Americans in? Then what?

[wonkowasright]

Russia holds all the cards on this one.

I do note the date is “After 2020” which is 6 years out and plenty of time to negotiate.

We can always accelerate the human transport development on the SpaceX Dragon Capsule.

[ImJustAnotherOkie]

Shoot the damn thing down then! That will show them.

[PanzerKardinal]

Fine.

All the major life support modules on the International Space Station were built by the US and is control and regulated by ground stations based in the US.

So you Russkie kick us off, then Commie Scum freeze and breath vacuum.

[ansel12]

Aren’t these situations covered in some sort of contract, before we become totally dependent on someone?

I would never have thought we were just winging it in space, and that we could be switched off at Russia’s whim, if something international came up.

[hadaclueonce]

having a US paid for space station with no way to get there is like building a mansion on an island without a boat.

Yes the US is that stupid.

One more nail in the coffin.

It is all broken.

[dfwgator]

[GeronL]

bump

[Rusty0604]

Who didn’t see this coming?

[Delta Dawn]

sort of contract

No, there is no contract that could or would stand up to an aggressive international foe. This is why Teddy Roosevelt would say, 'Talk softly but carry a big stick'. It ultimately comes down to the, 'Big Stick'.

[Vince Ferrer]

The Gemini space missions took about 18 months from approval to first flight. All we need now is a man rated Dragon capsule and some engine replacements. Not a big deal. Also, NASA already has a contract with Bigelow Aerospace for a new crewed module. It is going to be attached to the ISS, but is designed to be a free floating station. Just put the Bigelow module in orbit, and we have a new space station.

[trisham]

“The measure of a man is what he does with power.”

~Plato

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[Former Proud Canadian]

Contracts???? If the Russians won’t transport US astronauts back and forth, that’s it. Fini. What are you going to do? Sue them?

[fishtank]

I’m confused who you are calling a commie bastard.

[Sacajaweau]

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/10/22/world/international-space-station-fast-facts/index.html

[I cannot think of a name]

“The Gemini space missions took about 18 months from approval to first flight.”

Sorry, that was another era and another America.

Today they Gemini program wouldn’t even be approved. Every space capsule design would have to be large enough for one woman, one minority, one gay, one transgendered - and probably one white male just to operate all those silly knobs and switch things.

[Gritty]

HaHaHa! Don't these Russkies know NASA is still on the job and we have our own well developed space program? After all, we were the first ones on the moon!

Oh, wait...

Who did you say is handling our Muslim Outreach Program again? What has that got to do with anything!!??